Could this be the end for Tony Romo?

With the latest injury to an already fragile back, it may be time for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo to consider retirement and life post-football.

For Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, there is a cruel sense of irony involving an injury against the Seattle Seahawks.

No matter all of the great things that Romo has done, the first chapter of his NFL story involves bad luck and the Seahawks.

Century Field was the site of his first bout of horrible luck.  The snap of the brand new, unwrapped football.  The play that slipped through his hands and ended the 2006 season for the Dallas Cowboys.

Now, it could be that the same field will end up being the site of his last unfortunate situation.  A slide, in a preseason game, that ends up breaking a bone in his already fragile back.

It is true that this latest injury will not keep Tony Romo out of the entire season.  It is also true that his departure does not automatically mean the end of the season.  Tony Romo will return at some point in time this season.

Whether that is six weeks from now (a home game vs. Cincinnati) or ten weeks (home against Philadelphia) is up in the air.

The question, now, should really be this:

Could this season be the end for Tony Romo in the NFL?

The most recent injury, a fractured vertebrae in his lower back, marks the fifth time in five years his body has been damaged.  Given that, plus the fact that he is 36 years old begs the following question.

How much more does Tony Romo realistically have left?

Purely from an organizational point of view, it is clear that the Dallas Cowboys can no longer bank on Romo being available to them for an entire year.

From a human point of view, Romo needs to consider his post-football life and his family.

From a historical view point, this is just another horrible example that life is not fair.  That is another article for another time, however.

The most important thing here is the future of this organization.  After this most recent injury, it is hard to see that future including Tony Romo.

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At this point, the best thing that Romo can do is retire at the end of the year.  If he does so, looking at the rules of the salary cap, the Cowboys would be in good shape.

When a player is released (or retires), the team is relieved of having to pay the player’s base salary.  This also applies to any roster bonus that may become due after that.  The team would still need to account for any signing or option bonus prorations that haven’t yet counted against the Salary Cap.

That means that instead of almost $25 million counting towards the cap for Romo, it then becomes just over $19M in 2017.  After that, the remaining $40M due would be gone.

If the Dallas Cowboys do not win the Super Bowl this season, it will be another year that Tony Romo does not deliver a championship.  That salary cap relief would be the next best thing he could give this team.

Next: Five Dallas Cowboys whose stock is on the rise

We all were aware that the end was near for Tony Romo.  Unfortunately, it now appears that the ending is sooner rather than later.